subject: Making Blue Glass And Other Types Of Optical Fiber Glasses [print this page] Glass is used in various walks of lifeGlass is used in various walks of life. Glass is manufactured using various methods from the ancient times. Today, there are a lot of new technologies to create different types of glasses needed for various industries. Various types of glass such as the optical filter glass, flat glass etc are made in different ways. Optical filter glass is used for making various items that serve a lot of purposes. optical glass filters are used in science and technology and in the research industry.
Blue glass can be manufactured by using cobalt as one of the ingredients. When other materials such as iron, copper, cobalt, nickel etc are used with potash, you get glass with a deep blue color. The intensity of the blue color can be adjusted according to the cobalt used. Glass making, especially blue glass making has been very popular all through the ages. Glass makers all over the world usually rely on cobalt for getting top quality blue glass.
How to prepare blue glass
1. The pre-heated steel iron is fist taken out of the warmer. The warmer and the pre-heated steel are the most important glass making tools.
2. The iron tip should be placed on the glass surface that is kept on constant rotation. The glass will finally begin to look like a syrup. Now add 1/4 cylinder of ruby and cobalt to the syrup and mix well.
3. Shape the syrup with the help of a wooden block constantly soaking in water. A wad of wet paper can also be used for shaping the glass syrup. A marver or thick steel can also be used for shaping the glass.
4. When the hot glass continues to roll, hold your thumb at the end of the iron. When it begins to cool the glass becomes harder.
5. Heat the iron piece again by placing it in a hot chamber. This will help you to maintain the workable temperature of the iron when you are rolling the molten glass over and over again. This procedure will help you to obtain the preferred shape of glass you want after cooling. Let the newly made blue glass aside for some time to cool well.
Blue glass is very attractive and is mostly used for making decorative items. While making blue glass remember to use all the safety gear to prevent any kind of accidents. This is especially necessary when you are working with the glass syrup. Let the newly formed cool glass be allowed to cool for a while before using it.
